The invention relates to a hybrid plug connector for connecting conductor cables of different electronic modules to insulator bodies arranged in an outer casing for receiving a power conductor transmitting a power supply and a shielded data conductor for data transmission for transmitting signals/data of an industrial bus, such as ISA, Ethernet, or the like, wherein the power conductor has at least two power lines and the data conductor has at least one data line, wherein the power lines and the data lines are guided in contact parts designed as plugs or sockets and can be coupled via these contacts parts, and wherein the outer casings of the hybrid plug connectors can be joined inside one another for interlocking coupling, and wherein an insulator body designed as a contact carrier receiving means is arranged in each of the plug connectors designed as sockets and plugs, having a contact carrier in a shield housing, said shield housing accommodating a contact carrier which carries forward the data line(s) designed as plug sockets or plug pins in a shielded manner in the plug connector designed as socket or plug, and wherein the couplable contacts form a shape-encoded interlocking connection in the plugged-in state of the connection.
Hybrid plug connectors are known as devices in which electronic modules of the most varied kinds can be electrically coupled with respective plug connectors, wherein both power supply and data transmission functionality can be carried via the plug connectors which can be joined as pairs. Such hybrid plug connectors are for example used in manufacturing plants for coupling or uncoupling complex cable connections between control devices or control cabinets and machine tools, wherein preferably multiple control and supply lines are joined in one shielded cable. The shields required for interference-free operation may not experience degradation at transition points such as plugs or sockets.
Therefore, these are covered by screw caps as described in DE 20 2005 010 113 U1, such that shielding is ensured. EP 1 936 752 B1 discloses modular round plug connections with transmission jobs such as power supply and/or signal transmissions, in which two coupling parts to be connected comprise radially projecting cams axially on both sides in the region of their inner edges for unique mapping. Furthermore, round plug connectors are known as electrical line connections, for example from German utility models 299 15 382 U1 and 299 15 381 U1. WO 2000/45469 A1 discloses an electrical connector in which the sleeve that connects the two coupling parts is designed as one piece. A similar coupling with a one-piece sleeve is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,576 B1. Other disclosures are contained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,284 B1 and in WO 2010/047 716 A1. EP 2 390 960 B1 discloses an electric connector having a connector housing with at least one contact cavity and one interchange port, a contact held by the connector housing in the contact cavity, and an interchangeable signal module separably mounted to the connector housing, such that at least a portion of the signal module is held in the interchange port of the connector housing, wherein the signal module comprises an insulator holding a contact.
Particularly, DE 20 2008 013 757 U1 describes such a hybrid plug connector having a round metal housing with a contact insert, which comprises contacts for the data and power line to be connected, which contacts are configured as plug sockets or plug pins or as OWG terminals, wherein a shielded industrial bus (PDP, Ethernet . . . ) or an OWG conductor is provided as data line and an at least two-pole, preferably three or four-pole line is provided for transmitting a power supply.
The sizes of the contact parts—plug sockets/plug pins—determine the required diameter of the plug housing, among other parameters. While this configuration facilitates the manufacturing of plug connectors which meet the electrical requirements plug connectors have to meet, their dimensions prevent desired miniaturization. To further develop such plug connectors to allow further miniaturization while keeping manufacturing economical, the data contacts for the data lines, which contacts are designed as plug sockets or plug pins, are eccentrically disposed in the plug housing and surrounded by at least two power contacts disposed concentrically with the plug housing and in a circular arc partially encompassing the data insert and designed as plug socket or plug pin. The eccentric arrangement ensures a unique seating when assembling the pair-type hybrid plug connectors, wherein the shielding of the signal line of the industrial bus remains consistently intact. Assembling and incorporating the lines into the hybrid plug connectors and providing continuous uninterrupted shielding can be problematic in this respect. This is all the more true as continuous shielding is achieved for such plug connectors in that the shielding, when installed to size, which requires initial unraveling of the wire mesh in the case of a shielding braid, needs a metal extension to bridge the shielding. If individual wires stick out after unraveling, this can result in contact closing and failure of the plug connector. Another problem of unraveling is that individual wires are tom off, and effective shielding is no longer provided when a plug has been assembled. This means that, with the known sleeves, it is difficult to achieve continuous and all-round shielding on the one hand, and there are problems with strain relief and/or connecting the shield via the shielding sleeve on the other hand. Axial insertion of the shielding braid is a problem, since individual wires can break off and adversely influence shielding. Tensile strain can also result parts of the braid being torn off, causing gaps in the shielding.